Obama reiterates support for move towards online voting in elections

Former US President, Barack Obama, has reiterated his support for a move towards online voting in elections arguing that voting should be made “easier than harder”.

Speaking at the Oktane18 conference in Las Vegas, the former President discussed tech regulation and, with voter turnout at 58% in the 2016 US Presidential election, he was asked about the potential of online voting in elections to which he replied:

“My bias is that we should move to make voting easier than harder. We are the only developed country on Earth that makes it difficult for people to vote.”

Obama speaking at Oktane18 in Las Vegas. Source: Okta.

Whilst acknowledging that online voting is a reform that “should be considered” by the US, he pointed towards non-technical reforms which could also increase voter participation such as online voter registration and postal voting.

President @BarackObama calls for move towards online voting, if not just to make it easier and more inclusive for people to vote – “it is someting that should be considered” #Oktane18

Whilst in office in 2015, Obama said in an interview with Fast Company that online voting should ‘absolutely’ be a priority. He focused particularly on the potential benefits for younger voters:

“They’re just used to things moving faster. We can think of apps that promote engagement and the power of people.”

Obama also called for better tech regulation and for the United States to create a strong and transparent data sharing framework, indicating that it may be time for the country to follow the footsteps of the European Union.